I’m not implying that suffering is the mark of a Christian and we should all go out of here and look for suffering. But when you look at all of these scriptures that describes a life lived for Jesus, and you look at the comfortable, stable, well established lives we plan for and work hard to attain, I think we have to wrestle with the question of whether we’re really living for God. Or have we taken God’s blessings, and with them make a life for ourselves where we won’t need Him anymore? Where we’ve spent most of resources creating our own stability, our own provision, our own security. Rather than us dedicating our lives to God’s purposes in love and gratitude, we really only want God for our purposes, our goals, our ambitions. Degree, job, car, wife, house with a fence and a dog.
You know what’s really scary? All of those things we think are blessings, all of that provision, status, and security here on earth, Satan is just as capable of giving those to us. The devil said to Jesus when he was tempted in the dessert that I would give you the whole world and all its splendor if you’d bow down to me, if you’d just ignore and deny God.
The gospel message, salvation, is not that Jesus saved me and I get to have a picnic on a breezy summer day and have heaven as a cherry on top. The real gospel message is that what Jesus did on the cross for us, that’s worth it. That’s worth us, that’s worth our everything! That’s the message of salvation, that’s the message we’re to believe in and live by.
A lot of us who grew up in typical North American churches have this bulk of teaching about how following God brings earthly prosperity, “How to receive God’s best”, "Your Best Life Now", how God is for the good of those who love him, how He wants us to have life and have it to the full. Some even look at the genealogy records in the OT, the part where it says so and so begot so and so, and find this one guy named Jabez who asked for land and got it, so therefore we should have land. There’s even a book on that. Some of you throughout this sermon have been nodding and saying Amen, but I know some of you in your heads right now you’re scouring through every previous piece of teaching you’ve heard because you want to find something that will explain this whole sermon away. You know what, I did that too! This week I read every verse, every chapter these verses were in, just in case I missed some context thing, 2 sometimes 3 times, just to make sure this was for real. It’s as scary to me as it is to you.
Trust me, I don’t like pain, I don’t want to suffer either. I work in the government, the place that invented political correctness, where people are so polite a conversation of any substance gets you awkward looks. I don’t want to acknowledge or even know that following hard after Christ is going to result in chastisement, mockery and hurt. But you know what, if I really believed in Jesus I don’t get to put blinders on and pick and choose what I believe about him. A lot of stuff in this book I don’t want to believe, but I don’t get to tell God what He ought to be like, and how he ought to run His universe. And more and more I’m realizing Jesus died for me. He died so that I could stand before my maker, the one who gave me life, the one whose wrath used to be against me, ‘cause I took that life and said screw you, but now because of Jesus I could call God my Father and friend, and my eternity rests with Him. So come what may, come whatever, Jesus is worth it.
Question is, what’s Jesus worth to you? Let’s get real practical, is he worth a couple hours out of 1 day a week to go pray, to go to war, with some brothers and sisters in a prayer meeting? Doesn’t have to be with us, but is Jesus worth that to you? How ‘bout a small group or bible study where you can encourage and hold other brothers or sisters to living for God? How bout lovingly confronting the salvation, or lack there of, of those you’re close to? How bout confronting your own salvation? Is Jesus worth those awkward conversation to you?
And yes I know, you’re busy. Yes I know you’re tired. And yes, I work at the government so I have no idea what you’re going through. But who are you busy for? Who are you tired for? What’s Jesus worth to you?
I’m not talking about going out there and getting shot in the head, let’s start with small practical things. So in your time of prayer I really challenge you to commit to a change. I mean if this message spoke to you at all do something about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment